A human rights complaint has been filed against the Yukon jail after a 26-year-old man was dragged naked by guards in full riot gear to a video court appearance.

The incident occurred in January at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre (WCC) when Michael Nehass, who has been awaiting trial since 2011 on assault and assault with a weapon, among other charges, was appearing before a judge for a case management conference.

The man claims he has continually been kept in segregation for long periods, most recently for 28 months in a tiny cell.

During the January court appearance, the judge asked Mr. Nehass to stand up.

“I’m naked, how can I stand up with my naked body in front of a camera?” he shouted.

And later, “Cover up my penis, man, cover up my penis, it’ll be f — king seen on camera.”

His father, Russell Nehass, filed the complaint this month with the Yukon Human Rights Commission. “Most or all of Michael’s remand time at WCC since December 2011 has been spent in segregation,” he claims.

The complaint, with more than 30 points, cites “psychological torture” and “inhumane conditions,” among other things. It also calls for Michael Nehass to receive proper mental health support and be released from segregation.

Lois Moorcroft, the New Democratic Party’s justice critic, said she knows of three serious cases, including that of Michael Nehass, where people have been kept in isolation at the Whitehorse prison. On Tuesday in parliament she called for an independent audit into its use of solitary confinement.

“People are being kept in a small box for 23 hours a day. This has been proven over and over to have damaging effects on mental health, which I believe we seeing at this facility,” she said.

“Solitary confinement makes prisoners more difficult, more unstable and more dangerous.”

In 2013, 60 people were segregated at WCC, Justice Minister Mike Nixon said during an April debate.

Katherine Alexander, executive director of the Yukon’s Elizabeth Fry society, which works with women in the justice system, said Michael Nehass’s case is the tip of the iceberg.

“This is not an isolated case. I deal with women at the jail who are put into solitary confinement for very minor reasons, such as being disrespectful to guards, and for unusually long periods.”

She added First Nation’s people account for 80% of prison inmates in Yukon, although they make up only 25% of its population.

“This is a continuation of residential school system,” Ms. Alexander said. “The majority of people in here are not Michael Nehass, they are young First Nations; people with alcohol and drug addictions. They are deeply traumatized and this place is further traumatizing them.”

Dan Cable, Yukon’s Department of Justice director of policy and communications, said the prison is disputing Michael Nehass’s claims, including how long he was in solitary detention.

Discussing the video, he said, “Some inmates can be very difficult to handle within a correctional setting and our staff do their best to ensure that they are treated both fairly and humanely. Mr. Nehass was given a towel when he was carried into the courtroom to cover his middle section.”

Michael Nehass has been in and out of prison since he was a teen. His convictions include beating a man with a baseball bat and he has amassed a slew of new charges since being in prison.